NBA roundup: Heat lead by as many as 41, throttle Rockets

[November 04, 2019]  The Miami Heat scored a franchise-record 46 first-quarter points and routed the Houston Rockets 129-100 on Sunday night in Miami.

The Heat led by as many as 41 points in the first half. Miami's 5-1 start is its best since it last won an NBA title in the 2012-2013 season.

Jimmy Butler, Miami's biggest offseason acquisition, had one of the game's best stat lines with 18 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

The Heat, who never trailed in the game, also got a team-high 23 points from Duncan Robinson and 21 points from Meyers Leonard.

Robinson hit a career-high seven 3-pointers. He made 8 of 12 shots from the floor and went 7-for-11 on 3-pointers.

Lakers 103, Spurs 96

LeBron James produced his second straight triple-double, and Anthony Davis scored 25 points and took 11 rebounds as visiting Los Angeles defeated San Antonio to win its fifth straight game.

James finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. The Lakers went the entire 2018-19 season, James' first with the team, without winning five straight games.

Dejounte Murray single-handedly kept the Spurs in the game, scoring 16 straight San Antonio points over a seven-and-a-half minute stretch of the fourth quarter. Avery Bradley added 16 points for Los Angeles (5-1), while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dwight Howard had 14 points each. Howard also grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Clippers 105, Jazz 94

Kawhi Leonard shook off a slow start and scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half to spark host Los Angeles past Utah.

Leonard scored 18 points in the fourth quarter to help the Clippers hold off the Jazz. He made just 9 of 26 shots from the floor and only 2 of 8 of his 3-pointers, but his solid performance in the second half lifted Los Angeles.

Montrezl Harrell scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds, including six offensive boards, for the Clippers (5-2). Lou Williams added 17 points, while Ivica Zubac chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds. Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz (4-3) with 36 points. Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 19 points. Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Pacers 108, Bulls 95

T.J. Warren scored a game-high 26 points and TJ Leaf posted a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds to lead the host Indiana past Chicago in Indianapolis.

Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket against Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Malcolm Brogdon added 22 points and Jeremy Lamb chipped in 11 to help Indiana to its third straight victory. Playing with a lineup missing numerous leaders due to injury -- including Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis -- the Pacers shot 40-for-85 (47.1 percent) and maintained control for much of the night.

Despite enjoying a size advantage, Chicago struggled to capitalize inside, only attempting six free throws in the first half. While the Bulls made an adjustment after the break, a poor showing from the line kept them from challenging Indiana down the stretch. Chicago made just 14 of 25 free throws (56.0 percent) while the Pacers won the rebounding battle 49-43.

Mavericks 131, Cavaliers 111

Luka Doncic recorded his second consecutive triple-double and contributed seven points to a key run late in the third quarter as Dallas broke free from host Cleveland.

Doncic finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 15 assists for the Mavericks, who trailed 73-69 with 4:52 remaining in the third period before dominating the rest of the game.

The Mavericks outshot the Cavaliers in the game 53.2 percent to 40.6. Kristaps Porzingis chipped in with 18 points, Jalen Brunson 14, Seth Curry 13, Boban Marjanovic and Tim Hardaway Jr. 12 apiece, and Finney-Smith 10 for the Mavericks, who have alternated wins and losses in their last five games.

Kings 113, Knicks 92

De'Aaron Fox scored 24 points and visiting Sacramento cruised to victory over New York.

Fox made 8 of 18 shots and posted his fourth 20-point game of the season while also adding six assists. He capped his big night with a breakaway windmill dunk with 3:22 remaining and a deflected no-look pass for a 3-pointer by Harrison Barnes a little over a minute later.

Buddy Hield added 22, hitting five 3-pointers as the Kings shot 48.2 percent and made 15 3-pointers. The Kings improved to 2-5 and won their second straight game after starting off with five straight losses. They beat the Knicks for the fourth straight time and led for the final 43:51.

--Field Level Media

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